George W. Bush (born 1946) was born in the city ofNew Haven, Connecticut as the eldest of six children. He grew up inMidland andHouston, Texas. Bush studied atYale University andHarvard Business School before serving in theTexas Air National Guard. Bush would later be part owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball'sTexas Rangers, becomegovernor of Texas, and eventually become the 43rdpresident of the United States.
| ||
|---|---|---|
Business and personal 46th Governor of Texas 43rd President of the United States Tenure Presidential campaigns   | ||
George Walker Bush, the oldest son ofGeorge Herbert Walker Bush andBarbara Bush, was born inNew Haven, Connecticut, on July 6, 1946. When Bush was just two years old, his father moved the family from New Haven to the town ofOdessa inWest Texas to begin a career in the oil industry. According to George W., then age two, the family lived in one of the few duplexes in Odessa with an indoor bathroom, which they "shared with a couple of hookers".[1] He was subsequently raised inMidland andHouston, Texas, with siblingsJeb,Neil,Marvin, andDorothy. A younger sister,Robin, died ofleukemia in 1953 at the age of three, when Bush was 7. His parents came to pick him up from school two days after her death; Bush ran up to their car hoping to see Robin with them, and they told him the news. Bush understood that his sister had died, but his younger brother Jeb did not.[2] The family spent the summers and most holidays at theBush Compound in Maine.
Bush attended Sam Houston Elementary School and San Jacinto Junior High School inMidland, Texas. He spent summers at Camp Longhorn, which later his daughters would attend.[3] He later moved toThe Kinkaid School inPiney Point Village, Texas for two years. Afterward, like his father, Bush attendedPhillips Academy (September 1961–June 1964)[4][5][6] and laterYale University (September 1964–May 1968). Bush scored a 1206 out of 1600 on theSAT; 566 on the verbal section, and 640 on the math section.[7] Bush cheered for both Philips Academy's and Yale's football teams, as it was quite common for cheerleaders to be male in Bush's time.[8][9] At Yale, he joinedDelta Kappa Epsilon, of which he was from October 1965 until graduation, and theSkull and Bonessecret society; Bush's fatherGeorge H. W. Bush (1948) and grandfatherPrescott S. Bush (1917) were also members of Skull and Bones. Bush was also in the Yale First XVrugby union team in 1968.[10] He was a C student, scoring 77% (with no As and one D, in astronomy) with agrade point average of 2.35 out of a possible 4.00. Bush joked that he was known more for his social life than for his grades.[11] He received aBachelor of Arts degree in history in 1968. The entire entry from his yearbook read:
GEORGE BUSH. Born July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, son of George H.W. Bush (Class of '48) and Barbara Pierce Bush. Prepared at Phillips Academy-Andover, Andover, Massachusetts. Entered Yale, September, 1964. History Major. Resident Member: Davenport (Social Council, 1964-68; Football, 1964-68, Captain, 1967-68; Baseball, 1965-68); Delta Kappa Epsilon, President, 1966-67; Skull and Bones; Inter- Council, 1966-67; Freshman Baseball, 1965; Rugby Club, 1966-68. Roommates: R.J. Dieter, C. Johnson, III, C. Johnson, Jr. Address: Apt. 8, 5000 Longmont Drive, Houston, Texas 77027.
Bush's 1970 application to theUniversity of Texas School of Law was rejected,[12] and after his service in the TexasAir National Guard he enteredHarvard Business School in 1973. He graduated with aMaster of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1975, the first U.S. president with an MBA.[citation needed]
Bush was a keenrugby union player, during high school andYale University.[13][14] He played at the position offullback[14] for Yale's 1st XV, and in 1968 was in the Yale team that dramatically defeatedHarvard.[13][14]
After graduating from Yale University, Bush joined the TexasAir National Guard on May 27, 1968, during theVietnam War, with a commitment to serve until May 26, 1974. He was promoted tofirst lieutenant on the November 1970 recommendation of Texas Air National Guard commander Lt. Col.Jerry B. Killian. He served as anF-102 pilot until 1972. Bush was discharged from the Texas Air National Guard and transferred toinactive duty in theAir Force Reserve. He washonorably discharged from the Air Force Reserve on November 21, 1974, at the end of his six-year service obligation.[15]
Bush had described his days before hisreligious conversion in his 40s as his nomadic period and irresponsible youth. Although Bush states that he was not analcoholic, he has acknowledged that he was "drinking too much".[16]
On September 4, 1976, Bush was arrested fordriving under the influence of alcohol near his family's summer home inKennebunkport, Maine. He pled guilty, was finedUS$150, and had his driving license in the state briefly suspended.[17]
During the2000 presidential campaign, Bush said that he gave up drinking after waking up with ahangover after his 40th birthday celebration: "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then." He ascribed the change in part to a 1985 meeting with ReverendBilly Graham, after which he began seriousBiblestudy, as well as to gentle but persistent pressure from his wife,Laura.[18][19][20]
Bush marriedLaura Welch in 1977. They have fraternal twin daughters,Barbara Pierce Bush andJenna Welch Bush Hager, born in 1981.
.jpg)
